West Bradenton proposal stirs traffic fears

It can be bumper-to-bumper as is, without 8,600 new homes where tomato farms now sit

Josh Salman

The horns are blaring, the brakes are stomped and the AC is kicking.

Motorists trying to navigate their way through West Bradenton on their way to the beach on winter Saturdays often encounter bumper-to-bumper traffic.

And that drive may soon get even worse.

With Manatee Fruit Co. preparing plans to build as many as 8,600 new homes and nearly 4 million square feet of commercial space on farmland it has long owned, a growing number of nearby residents fear development could place additional pressure on what are already congested corridors.

They contend that the packed roads in West Bradenton cannot handle the extra traffic, and they worry that county planners are not adequately addressing the potential threat.

“The biggest problem from this development is going to be traffic, and I think you will see some community pushback from that aspect,” said Joe McClash, a former county commissioner, who was among those leading rallies against the nearby Long Bar Pointe development, which also called for adding thousands of residences.

“That’s the kind of thing that suffocates your community. Despite what the county says, the roadway infrastructure in that area is not sufficient now — what happens when you add all of this?”

If its tentative plans hold, Manatee Fruit could soon transform the quiet tomato farms that mark El Conquistador Parkway, near 53rd Avenue, into a sizable village.

The 1,600-acre development would rival Lakewood Ranch in scope, and its commercial space alone would be roughly equivalent to four malls like the soon-to-debut University Town Center.

The proposal comes just months after the owners of Long Bar Pointe — directly across the street from the Manatee Fruit farms — announced plans to build as many as 4,168 residences, a 250-room hotel and 15,000 square feet of retail space.

Together, the two massive projects could cause a traffic surge throughout Southwest Bradenton, which already struggles with congestion, especially during the tourism season and peak weekend hours.

“The traffic study just done to support Long Bar Pointe, which said there would be some failures, didn’t take into consideration these 8,600 homes,” said Jane von Hahmann, another former county commissioner, who spearheaded efforts to block Long Bar Pointe.

“There is no way to increase traffic flow or widen some of those roads.”

Before the Manatee Fruit project could be approved, the county will require traffic studies to determine whether roadways could handle increased traffic.

That would include calculations on the estimated number of new trips that would be created, and projections on where that traffic is expected to go. Solutions could range from road widening to new corridors or minor land adjustments.

The widening of 53rd Avenue to four lanes already is in the design stages, which should provide some added relief in the area, said Sage Kamiya, deputy director of public works for traffic management.

“It’s still too early in the process to say exactly what is going to need to happen,” Kamiya said. “It all depends on the impacts. They will need to accommodate their impacts to the road network system, so part of the requirement when they submit will be the traffic study.”

But concerned residents point to University Parkway, where officials are scrambling to fund interstate enhancements for traffic associated with the new mall and other developments.

They say West Bradenton would have similar needs if these planned developments advance.

But unlike East Manatee, it could be much more difficult — and expensive — to widen roads in that area, officials said.